The region was home to perhaps Faerûn's grandest metropolis of the 14th and 15th century DR, the city-state of Baldur's Gate.[3] Between the "miles and miles of miles and miles" of rolling hills, grassy flatlands, impassable marshes and monster-filled forests[1] the region was dotted with isolated villages and hamlets, trading stops and lonely castles.[4]

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Aside from the Savage Frontier to the northwest, the Backlands were considered the largest swath of wild, untamed frontier land in the western realms of Faerûn. It was infested with goblinoid raiders, malevolent beasts from the nearby Marsh of Chelimber and horrors from beyond Toril. While dangers could be found among the old ruins of ancient Netheril, the presence of a an unusual number of gates was postulated by sages as the cause of the region's exorbitant number of monstrous beasts.[9]

Elturel: Resting on a hill under the warm illumination of the Companion, the capital of Torm's kingdom was a beacon of vigilant safety that extended out to the surrounding towns.[5]

Scornubel: The City of Caravans was a haven for the rough-and-tumble outlanders, wayfarer and merchants of the Western Heartlands and beyond,[20] much to the chagrin of the High Observer of Elturgard.[21]

Despite its vast expanse, the Kingdom of Serpents, comprised of nagas, yuan-ti, lizardfolk and other scalykind, existed merely as rumors and hushed warnings to the other denizens of the Western Heartlands.[8] In the late 15th century DR, King Jarant sent yuan-ti ambassadors to neighboring kingdoms and city-states with a clear message that declared their sovereignty and dictated the terms of their diplomatic relations.[24]

Geographic features

Forest of Wyrms: This dark and dense forest of great redwood and pine trees was home to a great number of monstrous serpents, yuan-ti and even greendragons;[1] it was believed one of these wyrms changed the inherent physiology of these serpentine creatures.[13]

High Moor: These dense and untamed wetlands were home to a the typical beasts of the regions, as well as hobgoblins, orcs and a handful of human barbarian tribes.[25]

Highstar Lake: Located within the High Moor, this pristine and beautiful lake was an anomaly among its surroundings.[26]

Marsh of Chelimber: This vast marshland, full of noxious sulfurous pools, was home to a number of tribes of lizardfolk that have often been subjugated by various factions and kingdoms.[24][13]

Serpent Hills: These desolate, red clay hills had labyrinth of subterranean tunnels that were used by the Najaran serpentfolk to travel throughout their realm.[24]

Dragonspear Castle: In the mid-14th century DR, Priests of Tempus established a shrine within the famous fortress to act as a bulwark against the hordes of fiends that continuously clawed their way out of the portal found within.[31]

The rolling knolls and vast stretches of wilderness of the Vale were accentuated by a pair of large cities settled on the River Chionthar. The area between them, full of prosperous and well-protected farms, served as the bread basket for the surrounding lands, shipping their goods as far away as Amn. Roaming bands of bandits, goblins and wemics kept the roads well-traveled and acted as a buffer against possible invasions from the nearby powers of the Sea of Fallen Stars.[39] Some of the cities of the town willfully joined the kingdom of Elturgard to the west.[citation needed]

Geographic features

Far Hills: Nearly mountains themselves, these rocky crags west of the Sunsets were kept clear of travelers by the ominous presence of Darkhold.[1]

Greenfields: These open lush grasslands were regularly fixated upon by warlords and other would-be rulers trying to carve out a piece of the world.[10]

Hill's Edge:The "forgotten city" of the Vale,[47] was small but prosperous, thanks in part to their willingness to trade and deal with just about any group, including the Zhentarim and even the Red Wizards.[14]

Iriaebor: The City of a Thousand Spires was an independent city-state that housed a number of rival merchant houses whose decades-long bickering prevented its leadership from having a greater influence in the region.[49][19][14]